Team USA secured a spot in the semifinals of the Olympic Games with a 122:87 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals.
In the group stage, Team USA topped their group with a 3-0 record, facing South Sudan, Serbia, and Puerto Rico. On the other hand, Brazil finished third in their group, which included Germany, France, and Japan, with a record of one win and two losses.
Unlike previous quarterfinal matchups where the favorites entered the games somewhat or significantly weakened, this was not the case this time. The USA was determined from the start to make a big lead and thus break the game. Joel Embiid was somewhat more effective compared to the beginning of the tournament, being accurate from distance, while the transition game also worked very well for Steve Kerr’s team, leading to a double-digit lead in the opening quarter.
Things didn’t change much in the continuation. The Brazilians couldn’t impose a different game with their aggressiveness to disrupt the opponent. They did manage to reduce the deficit to eight points with some accurate long-range shooting, but it was short-lived, as the USA immediately stepped up and went into halftime with a huge lead of 27 points – 63:36. Embiid had shot 3/3 from three-point range, scoring 14 points by then, while LeBron James had dished out eight assists.
🇺🇸 Team USA takes a huge lead at halftime 😤 #Paris2024
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) August 6, 2024
Is there a chance of a 🇧🇷 Brazil comeback?#Olympics #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/PvJdvrDsQu
It was clear that the Americans wouldn’t push too hard in the remainder of the game, especially on the defensive end. The game featured attractive basketball with minimal contact and a high number of three-point shots. On one side, Bruno Caboclo, Yago dos Santos, and Georginho De Paula were hitting their shots, while for Team USA, Devin Booker, LeBron James, and Derrick White were precise. As a result, Team USA led comfortably 94:71 going into the final ten minutes.
Team USA maintained their lead comfortably throughout the final quarter and ultimately celebrated a decisive win to advance to the semifinals. Notably, Kevin Durant became the all-time leading scorer in Team USA history in this game.
The all-time leading scorer for Team USA basketball. pic.twitter.com/xBqHbI7Oi5
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 6, 2024
In the winning team, Devin Booker stood out with 18 points. Anthony Edwards scored 17 points, while Joel Embiid added 14 points.
For Brazil, the most efficient player was Bruno Caboclo with 30 points, while Georginho De Paula added 15 points.
In the semifinals, Team USA will face Serbia, who secured their spot after a dramatic comeback win over Australia.
BRAZIL – USA 87:122 (21:33, 15:30, 35:31, XY:XY)
Venue: Bercy Arena, Paris
Referees: Antonio Conde, Luis Castillo, Yevgeniy Mikheyev
Brazil: dos Santos 8, Felicio, Louzada, Benito 3, Huertas 9, Santos 7, Meindl 7, Neto, De Paula 15, Cardoso, Caboclo 30, Dias 8.
Team USA: Curry 7, Edwards 17, James 12, Durant 11, White 5, Haliburton 2, Tatum 5, Embiid 14, Holiday 9, Adebayo 9, Davis 13, Booker 18.
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